Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is here, and the ending has huge implications for the next film, Beyond the Spider-Verse. Here's what went down.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The story of Across the Spider-Verse is really about Miles Morales/Spider-Man (Shameik Moore) finding his identity. He's 15, and as he gets further into his web-slinging career, the tightrope act of keeping his identity from his parents becomes harder. Even if his parents don't know about his crime-fighting life, Miles' mom, Rio Morales (Luna Lauren Vélez) warns Miles that regardless of whatever he's running off to, he shouldn't lose sight of himself and should always remember that he does belong.
Belonging is the overarching motif of Across the Spider-Verse, and it becomes prevalent once Miles finds his way into the Spider-Society led by Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). Isaac's character constantly reminds Miles that he's an “anomaly” and a “mistake.” It turns out that the radioactive spider that bit Miles was created by the Spot, who went by Dr. Jonathan Ohnn before turning into the villain we meet in the film. It was never intended for Miles and yet here he is, an outsider to a group of Peter Parkers/adjacent characters.
He learns that everyone has different parts of the “canon” that cannot be changed. For example, almost every Peter Parker loses Uncle Ben — it's just part of their story. Should you change these events, as Miles did when he saved the father of Pavitr Prabhakar's love interest in that reality, it screws up the whole multiverse. Miles lost his uncle, but he learns that his father is going to die on the day he becomes Captain of the police force. This kicks the No Way Home-like conflict into motion as Miles wants to have it both ways and be the Spider-Man who doesn't have to lose someone that close to him and wants to save his father without messing everything up. Obviously, Spider-Man 2099 can't let that happen and attempts to keep him in the Spider-Society HQ.
Miles defies the orders of Spider-Man 2099 and narrowly escapes that universe after juking out hundreds of different Spider-Man variants. Initially, Miles believes he went back to his reality, Earth-1610, and confesses to his mother that he's Spider-Man. After a confused reaction from his mother and his Uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali) appearing, it finally hits Miles that he's not in his reality. The mural where there's a picture of his uncle in his world is now a portrait of his father (voiced by Brian Tyree Henry).
But Uncle Aaron is no idiot, and after asking if Miles got rid of his braids, he takes him to the roof and holds him hostage. To Miles' knowledge, his uncle is the Prowler and he's currently in his grasp. But Uncle Aaron eventually drops a bomb on Miles: This version of him isn't the Prowler. A mysterious figure drops from the ceiling, revealing himself to be the Prowler, and unmasks to show this reality's version of Miles as the character.
This puts a few things together for Miles — first was why his uncle asked about his braids (or lack thereof) and why his mother had little to no reaction to the reveal that he's Spider-Man (she thought he was cosplaying at “Comics Con” as she calls it). The film then ends with the reveal of Miles being the Prowler, teeing up Beyond the Spider-Verse.
While this is going on, Gwen Stacy uses a device left behind in her reality that can help her jump across universes — something she claimed she couldn't do — and recruits her own team of Spider-People. First, of course, was Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and his baby Mayday — Miles' mentor — and one of the new Spider-Man characters from this film like Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni) along with some familiar faces from the previous film like Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), Peni Parker/SP//DR (Kimiko Glenn), and I believe Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage). Despite Gwen and Peter B. betraying Miles, they will embark on a rescue journey and attempt to save Miles once Beyond the Spider-Verse comes out.
It's also important to note that Spider-Man 2099 and Jessica Drew (Issa Rae) are most certainly still hunting down Miles. I believe that they are in Miles' actual reality, watching his parents (specifically Miles' dad). All the while, we also see the Spot (Jason Schwartzman) make his way into one of the realities — presumably whatever one Miles is in.
It's now nearly a year-long wait until we get to see the payoff to these plotlines, but if nothing else, this Across the Spider-Verse surely gets you excited for what's next for Miles and the other Spider-Man characters.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be released on June 2.
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